Rhetorical Question
by China Dolly
Summary: ShikaNeji drabble. Neji asks his lover a question as he tries to figure out what to do with the Hyuuga Elders.


**Warnings: **OOC-ness, shounen ai  
**Disclaimer: **don't own…  
**Author's note:** I felt like a short emotional drabble and this is the result. A short OOC story of my favourite Naruto pairing ever.

**Rhetorical Question**

"It was not a rhetorical question, Nara."

Neji's eyebrow twitches as the boy he is attempting to speak to closes his eyes again in his own attempt to get some sleep.

"Rhetorical questions are overrated, you know." Shikamaru tells his angry companion with a sigh, a sign he'd rather be doing something much more enjoyable than teach the other about rhetorical questions.

"When you end a sentence with a question-mark people feel obliged to answer thus not even coming up with the thought that a question could easily be ignored." Shikamaru opens his eyes and turns to Neji, who is looking at him with a frown.

"And this explains you not answering my question how exactly?" He asks, crossing his arms in what he knows is a childish attempt to protect himself from the answer he could receive.

"I am making up for all the rhetorical questions that were answered by not answering your, as you say, un-rhetorical question." Shikamaru answers and as Neji seethes with anger for a short moment he has to suppress himself from gloating.

It is strange, he thinks, that Neji always brings out a side of him that has seemingly never even heard of the word lazy. He wants to call it troublesome but deep down Shikamaru realizes without these few moments that happen at least twice a day, life would be quite dull and boring even for him.

"Shikamaru…" Neji sits down next to the brown-haired boy with a sigh.

He sits close enough for their hands to touch but yet still too far way for Shikamaru to actually feel the others body-heat.

"Why won't you answer my question? It wasn't a difficult one." Neji asks quietly and after a few moments mumbles a bit forlorn: "It shouldn't be."

"I will answer your question if you tell me why you always want to ask me things that you already know." Shikamaru says. He looks at the other with a sideward glance and as he sees the somewhat sad look he puts his arm around Neji's waist and pulls him close.

Neji, with a small gasp of surprise, leans his head against Shikamaru's shoulder with a sigh. He closes his eyes as he tries to think of an answer.

He knows Shikamaru is stubborn and won't answer him before Neji answers his lover's question. Lover, Neji thinks with a smile, how good does that sound?

Ever since he had gotten together with Shikamaru, whom he had secretly loved for many months, life had been good only to be brought down a bit this morning.

Because as to where Hiashi was glad and grateful for the fact that his nephew had found someone he could be content and happy with, the Elders were most disappointed it was not a girl Neji choose to be with.

'We don't want to break the two of you up, we are just informing you.' One of them had told Neji on a stern tone. A tone Neji knew meant business. And when the Elders meant business, they were not simply, as they called it, informing someone.

Neji shakes his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. This is not getting him any closer to answering Shikamaru's question. He never realized he asked so many questions. But if he thinks of all the times that Shikamaru, with either a huff or a sigh, answers him he has to admit he, unconsciously though, indeed asks a lot of questions.

"I don't know." He says softly as he turns his head slightly to be able to look Shikamaru in the eye.

"Then let me tell you." Shikamaru says and looks up to the sky with a grim expression. "It is because of the way you were brought up as a child."

Neji frowns. "I wasn't a very talkative child, I never asked questions." He says, thinking that Shikamaru's reasoning for him asking questions is somewhat strange.

"I know. It wasn't what I was referring to." Shikamaru says, still looking up at the sky with that same expression etching his face.

"You are raised, as you say yourself, to be a caged bird, a slave to the Main House. You were taught that you would always be beneath people as a member of the Branch House. I've seen you doubt everything except your fighting abilities. Because that is the only thing you can control yourself. Even if the Main House decided to take everything from you, they can't take your skills. I think that is why you constantly ask if my love is genuine and why. Because you are afraid that if they want, the Main House can take me away from you. You want reassurement that I am genuine, that I truly love you, because you don't want to be heartbroken over something as stupid as emotions."

As Shikamaru finishes he looks at Neji again. To his surprise the other is biting his lip and trying to keep tears from running down his face.

With a sad smile Shikamaru caresses the side of Neji's face and places a kiss on top of his head. "It is all right to cry sometimes, you know." He whispers softly as he leans his chin upon the others head as Neji buries his face deeper into Shikamaru's shoulder.

"I haven't cried in a long time." Neji whispers.

Shikamaru's words hurt. Not because that was the intention of those words, but because Neji knew the other was right. He was afraid to lose Shikamaru, almost all the time.

Neji hiccupped involuntarily and he felt a lonely tear fall down his cheek. He didn't want to be crying, he didn't need to be crying! He was in the arms of the man he loved and who loved him in return.

The man of whom he knew would go through fire, give up his own life, in order to save Neji. The man who cared for him unconditionally, no matter what he did or said. No matter how many questions he asked or how insecure he was.

"Something happened to make you ask me if I would elope with you." Shikamaru states as he embraces Neji's slightly trembling body. "What happened, Neji?"

Neji takes a deep breath. He is slightly annoyed with himself. He isn't crying but his body doesn't seem to stop trembling. It makes him feel weak and that bothers him.

"The Elders." He starts, a bit insecure. "They informed me that they were slightly disappointed that I am not dating a girl." He takes another breath and whispers: "The Elders don't just 'inform' someone."

"So basically they told you to break up with me and find yourself a suitable girl?" Shikamaru asks, not surprised at this bit of information at all.

He had figured it would be something like this that upset Neji so greatly. He had known the moment he had gotten together with Neji there would be trouble with the Hyuuga Elders.

"They did." Neji answers on a whisper. "And I want to defy them, Shikamaru. I really want to. And even though you've said countless times that you love me, I want to be _sure_. I want to be sure that when I am going to forsake my family you won't leave me too."

"I love you for as long as you'll have me and even then I won't stop loving you." Shikamaru says. He pulls Neji away from him a little so that he can look him Neji the eyes.

"I will stand by your side. But we don't have to elope." He says and leans forward to peck Neji's lips quickly. "My parents told me they would love to have you if it were ever needed."

Neji takes a deep breath. Even though he already knew Shikamaru would stay by his side, hearing the other say it again to reassure him made him smile contently.

Shikamaru was right, he was way to insecure for his own good. He needed to be told twice, thrice, that someone could actually care about someone as him.

And even though Shikamaru found everything in the world to be troublesome, he couldn't be bothered by telling Neji again, over and over, that he cared, would always be there for him. And that made Neji realize how much Shikamaru must actually love him.

With a gentle smile, Neji leans forward and kisses Shikamaru. It is a gentle and sweet kiss in which Neji pours all of his feelings. He caresses the side of his lovers face and sighs happily as he feels Shikamaru's arms around his waist.

"You know," he murmurs softly as he pulls away and with a teasing smile looks at Shikamaru. "Your house will be very loud."

Shikamaru stares at his lover for a few moments before bursting out in laughter. "You'll get used to it." He says happily as he embraces Neji tightly.

It felt good to defy the rules of those who were single-minded, was what the two of them decided right then and there. Because how could something that felt this wonderful ever be wrong?

**The end**

Let me know what you thought of this OOC drabble!


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